City Hall, New

Hayward City Hall, at B Street and Watkins, is the third and current Hayward City Hall building. It opened in January 1998, replacing the abandoned City Center Building, which served as Hayward’s second City Hall. Hayward’s first City Hall, which is also closed to the public, is in the Alex Giualini Plaza, three blocks away on Mission Boulevard.

Since the new building is located close to the Hayward Fault, it was designed to withstand a major earthquake. The inability of the Hayward City Center Building to withstand a major quake, shown by damage to it from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, was the main motivation for the new City Hall’s construction.

The interior of the building contains a time capsule, to be opened on January 10, 2048, on the 50th anniversary of the building’s dedication. It also contains the John O’Lague Art Gallery run by the Hayward Arts Council. The park and plaza facing the building are host to various city-sponsored events, including a weekly farmers market, and in July, the Hayward-Russell City Blues Festival.